Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Faculty, Students, and the problem of UWW parking (by anon)



In the February 8th edition of the Royal Purple, there was an article discussing the parking issues being addressed on campus titled, University must work towards parking reform. This article was formulated around the opinion of a staff member commenting on how difficult it is for them to find parking. If you were you to catch the previous week’s edition, you would find a similar article that shows a picture of a faculty member gathering his belonging for class. Not sure if anyone really caught it, but if you look in the background of the picture, the professor is parked really close to the buildings on campus (White Hall). If you are trying to make a point about struggling to find a parking spot, maybe an accurate picture to display their concern would be more appropriate. And I realize that it’s probably an inconvenience for faculty to have to walk long distances with all their belongings, but most faculty and staff have an office. We as students, who might have 4 classes in a row, have to carry all of that in a backpack for the whole day, along with books and possibly computers. As if struggling to find a parking spot isn’t hard enough, having to then hike across campus with your backpack and belongings for the rest of the day is just as difficult.
Now, do I think that the faculty should have their own parking lot? Yes, if the campus can find room to make one that will allow 845 faculty and staff to park in it. I think that they are just as in need of finding parking as a commuter student. The thing that really gets under my skin is the simple fact that the university parking sold 2,868 parking passes, when only 1,182 are available. Why over sell when you know the spots will not be available? And because of this mistake, the university might be changing their rules so that freshman are unable to bring a car to school? That doesn’t seem fair, even if it were to help with the parking situation. If anyone has ever tried to find a parking spot on campus after 9:30am (depending on where you park) it’s almost impossible. All you see are several cars circling around the parking lots, hoping that in the time it took them to drive around, someone might have left and they can take their spot (know this from personal experience), which usually results in students being late for classes; also a concern among the faculty and staff.
Following that, what’s up with all the “restricted” parking spots that are never filled in the Winther parking lot? Another lot that is usually filled up by 8:30am and everyone is struggling to find a spot to park. This article then goes on to say that the campus might begin to meter the streets, even though they believe that the high volume of parkers on the street is due to the lack of parking available in the lots. And I realize that they need to have the families of Whitewater in mind, but they know this is a University town, parking on the streets is an issue that the campus presented the students with due to the parking problems. If they being to meter the streets, they are going to be pushing commuters even farther away from campus, thus re-causing the issue on parking all over again.
To restate my concern, I do believe that the faculty deserves their own parking lot, if the campus can find a place to put it, and where it will accommodate all those who are in need. I also believe that the campus should also take the students concerns into consideration, and in hopes that they will accommodate for both parties. The campus should really reconsider how many passes they decide to sell each year to insure that those who have made the purchase to get a pass will be guaranteed a spot. The campus created this issue, now it’s time they reconsider and implement a different plan.

10 comments:

  1. For my two cents, I think you are favoring faculty too much. Students should have parking priority since they have to carry all their books with them. Faculty have their own offices, so they don't have to lug everything around with them.

    --a faculty member

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  2. I agree with 8:41 - no point in having a faculty only parking lot. It wouldn't make sense to make every faculty member park in the same lot when they don't all work in the same building.

    If I had my way, faculty would get free, regular passes to be used in any of the commuter lots, and if anyone wanted to have a special spot real close to their building, they would have to pay for it (unless they are old and/or disabled or something).

    In addition, for students, I'd make the cost of a parking pass increase in proportion to campus proximity (would not apply to those living on campus, however). A parking pass is practically a luxury for students who live a few blocks from campus, where as it's practically a necessity for those who don't. With this being a great incentive for more students to walk/carpool (which means more exercise and less air pollution), traffic would probably decrease considerably. Also, the income from the students who choose to pay extra for the luxury would roughly compensate for the loss of income from the students who refrain from doing so. This way, everyone's happy - university still gets money, traffic decreases, and the students who opt out will save money and get more physical activity throughout the day. Plus, the commuters will have an easier time finding a parking spot, and the farther they have to commute, the more money they'll save. Also, when students who don't have a parking pass find the need to park on campus, they can use the metered spots.

    This is the first year I decided not to get a parking pass, and I have about a 10-15 minute walk to campus (if I'm walking briskly) depending on which building I'm going to. It's really not hard, and half the time I end up carpooling with someone, and on occasion, I'll park on the street. Also, the time it takes me to walk all the way to class is not much greater than the time it would take me to drive, park, and walk into class, and at that point, I'm using up gas, causing more traffic in the lots, and missing out on exercise.

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  3. Parking Garage. These new buildings are pretty and all but I don't think they are the best for everybody. Hell if they add a parking garage in commuter lot across from Hyland they could even make some bridges/ramps over and make it not so inconvenient to drive on Starin Rd. during the day.

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  4. 3:44, you're kidding, right? Talk about an impractical approach instead of thinking rationally about the situation....your solution is too complicated and would result in nothing but a financial burden (not to mention additional parking would just supplement laziness). So, maybe if students weren't so fucking lazy and actually WALKED to school when they easily could, the lots wouldn't be so damn crowded. My apartment is less than a half mile from campus, yet almost every resident has a parking pass. It's a waste of money, and given the current parking conditions, it's NOT worth it. I think students who live within 3/4 of a mile (or even a mile) from campus and refuse to walk (or ride a bike, skateboard, etc.), when they are perfectly able to, are just lazy and spoiled.

    _Peaches_

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  5. I honestly don't mind walking. It's healthy and I get to enjoy some time outside (except for when the town smells like butt, then it's not so great anymore). I heard about the parking meters, and I think that idea is a truck load of shit. If they're already selling 1,000 more parking passes than are actually available, they don't deserve to get money from anybody else.

    Anyway, I agree with 6:13. Just walk if you live close to campus, if you get too tired while you're doing it, buy a box of power bars to eat. They're pretty cheap and there is a whole nice section of them at Walmart.

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    1. Haha... it's sad that it's probably true that over half the people (who are YOUNG college aged people) who live close enough to campus to walk are probably so out of shape that they would actually need something like power bars just to give them the energy to walk a few blocks to and from school everyday. Yet somehow many of them still manage to walk to the bars five nights a week...

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  6. Faculty members need to get off their fat asses and walk. There is a free parking lot on campus, so faculty get to stepping. You can park three blocks from your office, walk the fat off and live longer. So crying like little bitches.

    Prof Chaos

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    Replies
    1. It's really annoying me that you just stole the "Prof Chaos" name. Great. I liked Prof Chaos, and now I have to see that name associated with your terrible comments. Get a life.

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    2. On the Internet, you cannot really steal anything. Apple controls the trademark "Apple with a bite taken out of it", but not the name Apple. You can call your company Apple, but your cannot use the logos Apple with the bite. To control any trademark you have to file for a patent. So get over it.

      Prof Chaos

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    3. Whatever. I liked the original Prof Chaos much better. You're just an idiot.

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